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Functional Inorganic Materials: Preparation, Characterization and Application

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2023) | Viewed by 6573

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Prof. Dr. Yuta Matsushima

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Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yamagata University, Yamagata, Japan
Interests: ceramics; crystal structure; ionic conductor; phosphor; semiconductor
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Dear Colleagues,

Stones and animal bones were most likely the very first inorganic materials used by humankind in ancient times. Throughout the ages, inorganic materials were used for their various functions, such as a high strength and toughness, dielectricity, semiconductivity, magnetism, superconductivity, etc. Today, functional inorganic materials play an indispensable role in modern society. This Special Issue covers a wide range of topics related to the preparation techniques, characterization, and applications of functional inorganic materials, from conventional ceramics to semiconductors, biomaterials, nanomaterials, porous materials, ionic conductors, dielectrics, magnetic materials, phosphors, inorganic-organic hybrid materials (such as newly emerging perovskite solar cells), and even materials that may be used in the future, providing a forum to discuss the future prospects of inorganic materials.

I hope that you enjoy participating in this Special Issue by contributing your original research articles or review papers.

Prof. Dr. Yuta Matsushima
Guest Editor

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Keywords

inorganic materials
preparation techniques
characterization
application
optical properties
optoelectronic properties
electric properties
mechanical properties
magnetic properties

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4515 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deep Red Photoluminescence from Cr³⁺ in Fluorine-Doped Lithium Aluminate Host Material

by Yuki Kamada, Ryusei Hayasaka, Kento Uchida, Taisei Suzuki, Takahiro Takei, Mamoru Kitaura, Hiroko Kominami, Kazuhiko Hara and Yuta Matsushima

Materials 2024, 17(2), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17020338 - 10 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 663

Abstract

Deep red phosphors have attracted much attention for their applications in lighting, medical diagnosis, health monitoring, agriculture, etc. A new phosphor host material based on fluorine-doped lithium aluminate (ALFO) was proposed and deep red emission from Cr³⁺ in this host material was demonstrated. Cr³⁺ in ALFO was excited by blue (~410 nm) and green (~570 nm) rays and covered the deep red to near-infrared region from 650 nm to 900 nm with peaks around 700 nm. ALFO was a fluorine-doped form of the spinel-type compound LiAl₅O₈ with slightly Li-richer compositions. The composition depended on the preparation conditions, and the contents of Li and F tended to decrease with preparation temperature, such as Al_4.69Li_1.31F_0.28O_7.55 at 1100 °C, Al_4.73Li_1.27F_0.17O_7.65 at 1200 °C, and Al_4.83Li_1.17F_0.10O_7.78 at 1300 °C. The Rietveld analysis revealed that ALFO and LiAl₅O₈ were isostructural with respect to the spinel-type lattice and in a disorder–order relationship in the arrangement of Li⁺ and Al³⁺. The emission peak of Cr³⁺ in LiAl₅O₈ resided at 716 nm, while Cr³⁺ in ALFO showed a rather broad doublet peak with the tops at 708 nm and 716 nm when prepared at 1200 °C. The broad emission peak indicated that the local environment around Cr³⁺ in ALFO was distorted, which was also supported by electron spin resonance spectra, suggesting that the local environment around Cr³⁺ in ALFO was more inhomogeneous than expected from the diffraction-based structural analysis. It was demonstrated that even a small amount of dopant (in this case fluorine) could affect the local environment around luminescent centers, and thus the luminescence properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Inorganic Materials: Preparation, Characterization and Application)

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11 pages, 5394 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Optical Properties Investigation of Upconverting K₂Gd(PO₄)(WO₄):20%Yb³⁺,Tm³⁺ Phosphors

by Julija Grigorjevaite and Arturas Katelnikovas

Materials 2023, 16(3), 1305; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16031305 - 03 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1417

Abstract

Nowadays, scientists are interested in inorganic luminescence materials that can be excited with UV or NIR radiation and emit in the visible range. Such inorganic materials can be successfully used as luminescent or anti-counterfeiting pigments. In this work, we report the synthesis and optical properties investigation of solely Tm³⁺ doped and Yb³⁺/Tm³⁺ co-doped K₂Gd(PO₄)(WO₄) phosphors. The single-phase samples were prepared using a solid-state reaction method. The Tm³⁺ concentration was changed from 0.5% to 5%. Downshifting and upconversion emission studies were performed under 360 nm and 980 nm excitation, respectively. Yb³⁺ ions were used as sensitizers in the K₂Gd(PO₄)(WO₄) phosphors to transfer the captured energy to Tm³⁺ ions. It turned out that under UV excitation, phosphors emitted in the blue spectral area regardless of the presence or absence of Yb³⁺. However, a very strong deep-red (~800 nm) emission was observed when Yb³⁺ and Tm³⁺-containing samples were excited with a 980 nm wavelength laser. It is interesting that the highest upconversion emission in the UV/Visible range was achieved for 20% Yb³⁺, 0.5% Tm³⁺ doped sample, whereas the sample co-doped with 20% Yb³⁺, 2% Tm³⁺ showed the most intensive UC emission band in the NIR range. The materials were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Optical properties were studied using steady-state and kinetic downshifting and upconversion photoluminescence spectroscopy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Inorganic Materials: Preparation, Characterization and Application)

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16 pages, 3609 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Compounds Based on Sodium Peroxidomolybdates (VI) and Derivatives of Pyridine Acids: Structure Determination and Catalytic Properties

by Adrianna Sławińska, Malgorzata Tyszka-Czochara, Paweł Serda, Marcin Oszajca, Małgorzata Ruggiero-Mikołajczyk, Katarzyna Pamin, Bogna D. Napruszewska, Ewelina Prochownik and Wiesław Łasocha

Materials 2022, 15(17), 5976; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15175976 - 29 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1130

Abstract

Two organic-inorganic hybrids based on sodium peroxidomolybdates(VI) and 3,5-dicarboxylic pyridine acid (Na-35dcpa) or N-oxide isonicotinic acid (Na-isoO) have been synthesized and characterized. All compounds contain inorganic parts: a pentagonal bipyramid with molybdenum center, and an organic part containing 3,5-dicarboxylic pyridine acid or N-oxide isonicotinic acid moieties. The type of organic part used in the synthesis influences the crystal structure of obtained compounds. This aspect can be interesting for crystal engineering. Crystal structures were determined using powder X-ray diffraction or single crystal diffraction for compounds Na-35dcpa and Na-isoO, respectively. Elemental analysis was used to check the purity of the obtained compounds, while X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) vs. temp. was applied to verify their stability. Moreover, all the compounds were examined by Infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Their catalytic activity was tested in the Baeyer–Villiger (BV) oxidation of cyclohexanone to ε-caprolactone in the oxygen-aldehyde system. The highest catalytic activity in the BV oxidation was observed for Na-35dcpa. The compounds were also tested for biological activity on human normal cells (fibroblasts) and colon cancer cell lines (HT-29, LoVo, SW 620, HCT 116). All compounds were cytotoxic against tumor cells with metastatic characteristics, which makes them interesting and promising candidates for further investigations of specific anticancer mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Inorganic Materials: Preparation, Characterization and Application)

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Review

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26 pages, 1197 KiB

Open AccessReview

Additives in Nanocrystalline Tin Dioxide: Recent Progress in the Characterization of Materials for Gas Sensor Applications

by Darya Filatova and Marina Rumyantseva

Materials 2023, 16(20), 6733; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16206733 - 17 Oct 2023

Viewed by 741

Abstract

Tin dioxide has huge potential and is widely studied and used in different fields, including as a sensitive material in semiconductor gas sensors. The specificity of the chemical activity of tin dioxide in its interaction with the gas phase is achieved via the immobilization of various modifiers on the SnO₂ surface. The type of additive, its concentration, and the distribution between the surface and the volume of SnO₂ crystallites have a significant effect on semiconductor gas sensor characteristics, namely sensitivity and selectivity. This review discusses the recent approaches to analyzing the composition of SnO₂-based nanocomposites (the gross quantitative elemental composition, phase composition, surface composition, electronic state of additives, and mutual distribution of the components) and systematizes experimental data obtained using a set of analytical methods for studying the concentration of additives on the surface and in the volume of SnO₂ nanocrystals. The benefits and drawbacks of new approaches to the high-accuracy analysis of SnO₂-based nanocomposites by ICP MS and TXRF methods are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Inorganic Materials: Preparation, Characterization and Application)

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22 pages, 7136 KiB

Open AccessReview

Application of Nanofluids in Improving the Performance of Double-Pipe Heat Exchangers—A Critical Review

by Stephan Pierre Louis, Svetlana Ushak, Yanio Milian, Magdalena Nemś and Artur Nemś

Materials 2022, 15(19), 6879; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196879 - 03 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1670

Abstract

Nanofluids can be employed as one of the two fluids needed to improve heat exchanger performance due to their improved thermal and rheological properties. In this review, the impact of nanoparticles on nanofluid properties is discussed by analyzing factors such as the concentration, size, and shape of nanoparticles. Nanofluid thermophysical properties and flow rate directly influence the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop. High thermal conductivity nanoparticles improve the heat transfer coefficient; in particular, metallic oxide (such as MgO, TiO₂, and ZnO) nanoparticles show greater enhancement of this property by up to 30% compared to the base fluid. Nanoparticle size and shape are other factors to consider as well, e.g., a significant difference in thermal conductivity enhancement from 6.41% to 9.73% could be achieved by decreasing the Al₂O₃ nanoparticle size from 90 to 10 nm, affecting nanofluid viscosity and density. In addition, equations to determine the heat transfer rate and the pressure drop in a double-pipe heat exchanger are presented. It was established that the main factor that directly influences the heat transfer coefficient is the nanofluid thermal conductivity, and nanofluid viscosity affects the pressure drop. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Inorganic Materials: Preparation, Characterization and Application)

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